Communication method and apparatus for configuring srs

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of wireless communications, and can reduce resource consumption and improve the resource utilization rate. Provided are a communication method and apparatus for configuring an SRS. The method comprises: a terminal-side communication apparatus receiving configuration information, and sending an SRS on the basis of the configuration information, wherein the configuration information indicates the number N of port groups, and the N port groups respectively correspond to N sounding reference signal (SRS) resource patterns, which constitute an SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, N being greater than 1 and less than or equal to the total number of antenna ports in an SRS resource where the N port groups are located.

Description

Communication method and apparatus for configuring srs

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411091332.5, filed on August 8, 2024, and entitled "Communication method and apparatus for configuring SRS", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication, and more particularly, to a communication method and apparatus for configuring SRS. BACKGROUND

[0003] In wireless communication, in order to transmit and receive data, obtain system synchronization and feedback channel information, etc., a reference signal is transmitted between a sending end and a receiving end. For example, the sending end transmits a reference signal to the receiving end, and the receiving end receives the reference signal, and then can perform corresponding operations based on the reference information, such as performing channel measurement to obtain corresponding channel state information. Among them, the reference signal is divided into uplink reference signal and downlink reference signal.

[0004] Suppose the reference signal is an uplink reference signal, when the channel bandwidth that needs to be measured by the network device is large, the terminal device can send the uplink reference signal to the network device multiple times through frequency hopping. The terminal device sends the uplink reference signal multiple times on multiple time domain symbols, and the uplink reference signal sent on each symbol occupies a part of the full bandwidth (or total bandwidth) configured for the uplink reference signal. For example, the terminal device can send the uplink reference signal on 4 time domain symbols through frequency hopping, and the uplink reference signal occupies one fourth of the full bandwidth on each symbol.

[0005] At present, the terminal device usually sends the uplink reference signal through multiple ports, wherein each port sends the uplink reference signal on 4 time domain symbols through frequency hopping, and the uplink signal sent by each port covers the full bandwidth; that is, the terminal device needs to send the uplink reference signal on the full bandwidth, and the network device can measure the channel information of the full bandwidth based on the sounding reference signal (SRS) sent by multiple ports. SUMMARY

[0006] The present application provides a communication method and apparatus for configuring SRS, which can reduce the consumption of resources and improve the utilization rate of resources.

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for configuring SRS, which can be executed by a terminal-side communication device. The "terminal-side communication device" in the present application can refer to a terminal device, a component (for example, a communication module, a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the terminal device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the terminal device, unless otherwise specified. The method comprises: receiving configuration information, the configuration information indicating the number N of port groups, the N port groups corresponding to N SRS resource patterns respectively, the N SRS resource patterns constituting an SRS resource hopping pattern, and N being greater than 1 and less than or equal to the total number of antenna ports in the SRS resource where the N port groups are located; and transmitting SRS according to the configuration information.

[0008] Based on the scheme, the terminal-side communication device can transmit SRS based on different frequency domain resources respectively configured by the network-side communication device for the multiple antenna ports under the same SRS resource configuration, wherein the resource carried by the SRS is the frequency domain resource of the port group to which the antenna port belongs. For example, the multiple antenna ports under the same SRS resource configuration can be divided into N groups, wherein each port group is respectively configured with a different SRS resource pattern, and the N port groups correspond to the N SRS resource patterns respectively, wherein the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns is a part of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource hopping pattern (that is, the N SRS resource patterns constitute the SRS resource hopping pattern), that is, the SRS transmitted by the terminal-side communication device at the antenna port in each port group covers a part of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource hopping pattern, so that the SRS transmitted by the N groups of antenna ports collectively realizes coverage of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource hopping pattern.

[0009] Further, after receiving the SRS of the antenna port in the one port group and measuring the SRS to obtain the channel information of the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the one port group, the network-side communication apparatus can use the correlation of the multiple groups of antenna ports to equivalently obtain the channel information as follows: the terminal device sends the SRS on the SRS resource pattern through the antenna port in any one of the N-1 port groups other than the one port group in the N port groups, and the network-side communication apparatus obtains the channel information by measuring the SRS; that is, the terminal-side communication apparatus only needs to send the SRS on one SRS resource pattern through one group of port groups, so that the network-side communication apparatus can infer (or estimate, equivalently) the channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern measured by the network-side communication apparatus for each port group when each port group sends the SRS on the preconfigured bandwidth, and further determine the real channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern. Compared with the scheme in which the SRS sent on each antenna port in the multiple antenna ports configured by the SRS resource covers the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, the resource consumption can be reduced and the resource utilization can be improved.

[0010] In a possible design, before receiving the configuration information, the method further includes: sending indication information, the indication information being used to assist in determining the value of N.

[0011] Based on the possible design, the terminal-side communication apparatus can send the indication information to the network-side communication apparatus to assist the network-side communication apparatus in determining the value of N; for example, the terminal-side communication apparatus can indicate the number of port groups (i.e., the value of N) that can be supported by the terminal-side communication apparatus through the indication information; or in other words, the indication information indicates the number of port groups recommended by the terminal-side communication apparatus; so that the value of N determined by the network-side communication apparatus can be compatible with the terminal-side communication apparatus, and the measurement of the channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern can be avoided due to the terminal-side communication apparatus not supporting the value of N.

[0012] In a possible design, the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns is 1 / N of the preconfigured bandwidth, and the preconfigured bandwidth is greater than or equal to the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

[0013] Based on the possible design, the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns is 1 / N of the preconfigured bandwidth; for example, the preconfigured bandwidth is divided into N parts, and the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern is one of the N parts; that is, the terminal device sends SRS on the antenna port in each port group, which covers 1 / N of the preconfigured bandwidth, and the SRS sent by the N groups of antenna ports together covers the preconfigured bandwidth. Further, after the network side communication device receives the SRS of the antenna port in one port group and measures the SRS to obtain the channel information of the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the one port group, the network side communication device can use the correlation of the multiple groups of antenna ports to equivalently obtain the channel information that the terminal device sends SRS on the SRS resource pattern through the antenna port in any one of the N-1 port groups other than the one port group, and the network side communication device measures the SRS to obtain the channel information; that is, the terminal device only needs to send SRS on one SRS resource pattern using one group of port groups, so that the network side communication device can infer (or estimate, equivalently) the channel information of the preconfigured bandwidth obtained by measuring the SRS sent by each port group on the preconfigured bandwidth, and further determine the real channel information of the preconfigured bandwidth. Compared with the scheme in which the SRS sent on each antenna port in the multiple antenna ports configured by the SRS resource covers the preconfigured bandwidth, the resource consumption can be reduced and the resource utilization can be improved.

[0014] In a possible design, each port group in the N port groups includes at least one antenna port, and each antenna port in the at least one antenna port shares the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group in which the antenna port is located.

[0015] In a possible design, the time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns overlap.

[0016] In a possible design, the time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns are the same.

[0017] In a possible design, the frequency domain starting positions of the N SRS resource patterns are different.

[0018] Based on the possible design, the frequency domain starting positions of the N SRS resource patterns are different; that is, the SRSs sent by the antenna ports in each of the N port groups cover different frequency domain resources; the SRSs sent by the antenna ports in each port group cover a part of the frequency domain resources in the SRS resource hopping pattern, so that the SRSs sent by the N groups of antenna ports together cover the frequency domain resources in the SRS resource hopping pattern. Further, after receiving the SRSs of the antenna ports in one port group and measuring the SRSs to obtain the channel information of the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the one port group, the network side communication device can use the correlation of the multiple groups of antenna ports to equivalently obtain the channel information as follows: the terminal device sends SRSs on the SRS resource pattern by using the antenna ports in any one of the N-1 port groups other than the one port group, and the network side communication device obtains the channel information by measuring the SRSs; that is, the terminal side communication device only needs to send SRSs on one SRS resource pattern by using one port group, so that the network side communication device can infer (or estimate, equivalently) the channel information of the frequency domain resources in the SRS resource hopping pattern measured by the network side communication device for the SRSs of each port group when each port group sends SRSs on the preconfigured bandwidth, and further determine the real channel information of the frequency domain resources in the SRS resource hopping pattern. Compared with the scheme in which the SRSs sent on each of the multiple antenna ports configured by the SRS resource cover the frequency domain resources in the SRS resource hopping pattern, the resource consumption can be reduced and the resource utilization can be improved.

[0019] In a possible design, each of the N SRS resource patterns includes at least one SRS pattern block, and the frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block are different.

[0020] In a possible design, the at least one SRS pattern block corresponds to different values of a transmission counter respectively.

[0021] In a possible design, the SRS pattern block is related to the index of the port group corresponding to the SRS pattern block and the number N of the port groups.

[0022] Based on the above two possible designs, the terminal side communication device can determine the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to the port group indicated by the index of the port group based on the index of the port group, the value of the transmission counter, and the number N of the port groups; at this time, one value of the transmission counter can correspond to N frequency domain starting positions, and the indexes of the port groups corresponding to the N frequency domain starting positions are different; compared with the scheme in which the terminal side communication device determines the frequency domain starting position only according to the value of the transmission counter, the number of bits of the value of the transmission counter can be reduced; thereby resource overhead can be saved.

[0023] In a possible design, the SRS pattern block, the index of the corresponding port group, and the number N of the port groups satisfy the following relationship:

[0024] where n b denotes the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block, n SRS denotes the value of the transmission counter corresponding to the SRS pattern block, PortIdx denotes the index of the port group corresponding to the SRS pattern block, B SRS is the preconfigured bandwidth, N b′ denotes the number of the preconfigured bandwidths, N SRS denotes the number of the preconfigured bandwidths when the value of B portNum denotes the number N of the port groups, n RRC is the frequency domain starting position index of the SRS resource, and m SRS,b denotes the number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the preconfigured bandwidth.

[0025] In a possible design, the time-frequency resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap.

[0026] In a possible design, the sizes of the frequency domain resources of any two SRS pattern blocks in the at least one SRS pattern block are the same.

[0027] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication method for configuring SRS, which can be executed by a network side communication apparatus. In the present application, the network side communication apparatus can refer to a network device, a component (for example, a communication module, a processor, a circuit, a chip, or a chip system) in the network device, or a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of the functions of the network device. The method comprises the following steps: determining configuration information, the configuration information indicating the number N of port groups, the N port groups corresponding to N SRS resource patterns respectively, the N SRS resource patterns constituting an SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, and N being greater than 1 and less than or equal to the total number of antenna ports in the SRS resource where the N port groups are located; and sending the configuration information.

[0028] Based on the scheme, the network side communication device can configure different frequency domain resources for each antenna port under the same SRS resource configuration; for example, the plurality of antenna ports are divided into N groups; and different SRS resource patterns are configured for each port group, and the N port groups and N SRS resource patterns correspond respectively; wherein the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns is a part of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern (that is, the N SRS resource patterns constitute the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern), that is, the terminal side communication device sends SRS covering a part of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern through the antenna port in each port group, so that the SRS sent by the N antenna port groups together covers the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

[0029] Further, after receiving the SRS of the antenna port in one port group and measuring the SRS to obtain the channel information of the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the one port group, the network side communication device can use the correlation of the plurality of antenna port groups to equivalently obtain the channel information: the terminal device sends SRS on the SRS resource pattern through the antenna port in any one of the N-1 port groups in the N port groups except the one port group, and the network side communication device obtains the channel information by measuring the SRS; that is, the terminal side communication device only needs to send SRS on one SRS resource pattern by using one port group, so that the network side communication device can infer (or estimate, equivalently) the channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern measured by the network side communication device for each port group when each port group sends SRS on the preconfigured bandwidth, and further determine the real channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern. Compared with the scheme that the SRS sent on each antenna port in the plurality of antenna ports configured by the SRS resource covers the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, the resource consumption can be reduced and the resource utilization can be improved.

[0030] In a possible design, before determining the configuration information, the method further includes: receiving indication information, the indication information being used for assisting in determining the value of N; and determining the configuration information, including: determining the configuration information according to the indication information.

[0031] In a possible design, the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns is 1 / N of the preconfigured bandwidth, and the preconfigured bandwidth is greater than or equal to the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

[0032] In a possible design, each port group in the N port groups includes at least one antenna port, and each antenna port in the at least one antenna port shares the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group in which the antenna port is located.

[0033] In one possible design, the temporal resources of N SRS resource patterns overlap.

[0034] In one possible design, the time-domain resources of N SRS resource patterns are identical.

[0035] In one possible design, the frequency domain starting positions of the N SRS resource patterns are different.

[0036] In one possible design, each of the N SRS resource patterns includes at least one SRS pattern block, and the frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block are different.

[0037] In one possible design, at least one SRS pattern block corresponds to a different value of the transmission counter.

[0038] In one possible design, the SRS pattern block is related to the index of its corresponding port group and the number N of port groups.

[0039] In one possible design, the index of the SRS pattern block, its corresponding port group, and the number of port groups N satisfy the following relationship:

[0040] Where, n b Indicates the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block, n SRS This indicates the value of the transmission counter corresponding to the SRS pattern block, PortIdx indicates the index of the port group corresponding to the SRS pattern block, and B SRS For pre-configured bandwidth, N b′ B SRS The number of pre-configured bandwidths when the value is b′, N portNum N represents the number of port packets. RRC m is the frequency domain starting position index of the SRS resource. SRS,b This indicates the number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the pre-configured bandwidth.

[0041] In one possible design, the time-frequency resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap.

[0042] In one possible design, the frequency domain resources of any two SRS pattern blocks in at least one SRS pattern block are of the same size.

[0043] The technical effects of any design in the second aspect can be referenced from the technical effects of the corresponding design in the first aspect, and will not be elaborated here.

[0044] In a third aspect, a communication apparatus is provided for implementing the various methods. The communication apparatus can be the terminal-side communication apparatus in the first aspect, or the network-side communication apparatus in the second aspect, or a chip or chip system included in the terminal-side communication apparatus or the network-side communication apparatus. The communication apparatus includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the steps of the method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0045] In some possible design, the communication apparatus can include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module can be configured to implement the processing functions in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manner thereof. The transceiver module can include a receiving module and a sending module, which are configured to implement the receiving function and the sending function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementation manner thereof.

[0046] In some possible design, the transceiver module can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0047] In a fourth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a memory. The memory is configured to store computer instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the above aspects. The communication apparatus can be the terminal-side communication apparatus in the first aspect, or the network-side communication apparatus in the second aspect, or a chip or chip system included in the terminal-side communication apparatus or the network-side communication apparatus. The communication apparatus includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the steps of the method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0048] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which includes a processor and a communication interface. The communication interface is configured to communicate with modules outside the communication apparatus. The processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions, so as to cause the communication apparatus to perform the method in any of the above aspects. The communication apparatus can be the terminal-side communication apparatus in the first aspect, or the network-side communication apparatus in the second aspect, or a chip or chip system included in the terminal-side communication apparatus or the network-side communication apparatus. The communication apparatus includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the steps of the method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0049] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided, which comprises at least one processor; the processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions, so that the communication apparatus performs the method in any one of the aspects. The communication apparatus can be the terminal-side communication apparatus in the first aspect, or the network-side communication apparatus in the second aspect, or a device included in the terminal-side communication apparatus or the network-side communication apparatus, such as a chip or a chip system. The communication apparatus comprises modules, units or means corresponding to the method, which can be implemented by hardware, software or by executing corresponding software by hardware. The hardware or software comprises one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

[0050] In some possible designs, the communication apparatus comprises a memory, which is configured to store necessary programs, instructions and / or data. The memory can be coupled with the processor, or can be independent of the processor.

[0051] In some possible designs, when the apparatus is a chip system, the apparatus can be composed of a chip, or can comprise a chip and other discrete devices.

[0052] It can be understood that, when the communication apparatus in any one of the third aspect to the sixth aspect is a chip, the transmitting action / function of the communication apparatus can be understood as outputting information, and the receiving action / function of the communication apparatus can be understood as inputting information.

[0053] The terminal-side communication apparatus can be a terminal device, or a communication module in the terminal device, or a chip responsible for communication functions in the terminal device, such as a modem chip (also referred to as a baseband chip), or a system on chip (SoC) chip or a system in a package (SIP) chip comprising a modem module.

[0054] The network-side communication apparatus can be a network device, or a communication module in the network device, or a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions in the network device, or a functional module capable of invoking and executing programs in the network device.

[0055] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores computer programs or instructions, and when the computer programs or instructions are executed on a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus can perform the method in any one of the aspects.

[0056] In an eighth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which comprises instructions, and when the instructions are executed on a communication apparatus, the communication apparatus can perform the method in any one of the aspects.

[0057] In a ninth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the terminal-side communication apparatus (or an apparatus included in the terminal-side communication apparatus, such as a chip or a chip system) in the first aspect and the network-side communication apparatus (or an apparatus included in the network-side communication apparatus, such as a chip or a chip system) in the second aspect.

[0058] The technical effects brought by any one of the designs in the third aspect to the ninth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought by the different designs in the first aspect or the second aspect, which will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0059] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an architecture of a wireless communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram of an architecture of a wireless communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application;

[0061] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of yet another architecture of a wireless communication system suitable for embodiments of the present application;

[0062] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of frequency hopping for transmitting SRS;

[0063] FIG. 5 is another schematic diagram of frequency hopping for transmitting SRS;

[0064] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a communication method for configuring SRS;

[0065] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of yet another frequency hopping for transmitting SRS;

[0066] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of yet another frequency hopping for transmitting SRS;

[0067] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of yet another frequency hopping for transmitting SRS;

[0068] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of another communication method for configuring SRS;

[0069] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of yet another communication method for configuring SRS;

[0070] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a communication apparatus;

[0071] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of another structure of a communication apparatus;

[0072] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of yet another structure of a communication apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, " / " means that the objects before and after the " / " are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can mean A or B; "and / or" in the present application is only a description of the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone, wherein A and B can be singular or plural.

[0074] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or the like means any combination of the items, including any combination of single item or multiple items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, wherein a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0075] In addition, in order to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, "first", "second" and the like are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with basically the same function and role. Those skilled in the art can understand that "first", "second" and the like do not limit the quantity and execution order, and "first", "second" and the like do not necessarily mean different.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment or design presented as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design solutions. Rather, the use of "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present relevant concepts in a specific manner, facilitating understanding.

[0077] It can be understood that the "embodiments" mentioned throughout the specification mean that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. It can be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial number of each process does not mean the execution order, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0078] It is to be understood that the terms "including", "comprising", "having" and "with" are meant to be interpreted open-ended, i.e. in the sense of "including but not limited to", "comprising but not limited to", "having but not limited to" or "with but not limited to", respectively.

[0079] It is to be understood that, in this application, "… when" and "if" refer to the occurrence of an objective condition, not the time, and do not require a judgment action to be implemented, nor does it mean that there are other limitations.

[0080] It is to be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented independently in some scenarios, without relying on other features, such as the current scheme based on, to solve the corresponding technical problems, achieve the corresponding effect, or can be combined with other features according to demand in some scenarios. Correspondingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application can also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described here.

[0081] It can be understood that in this application, "indication" can include direct indication and indirect indication, and can also include explicit indication and implicit indication. When describing "a certain indication information indicates A" or "indication information of A", it can include that the indication information directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, and does not mean that A is carried in the indication information. The information indicated by certain information is called to be indicated information, and there are many ways to indicate the to-be-indicated information in the specific implementation process, for example but not limited to, the to-be-indicated information can be directly indicated, such as the to-be-indicated information itself or the index of the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can also be indirectly indicated by indicating other information, where the other information and the to-be-indicated information have an association relationship. The to-be-indicated information can also be only indicated a part, and the other part of the to-be-indicated information is known or agreed in advance. For example, the indication of a specific information can be achieved by means of the arrangement order of each information agreed in advance (for example, a protocol stipulates), thereby reducing the indication overhead to a certain extent. At the same time, the common part of each information can be identified and uniformly indicated, so as to reduce the indication overhead caused by separately indicating the same information. In addition, the specific indication method can also be various existing indication methods, for example but not limited to, the above indication methods and various combinations thereof. As can be seen from the above, for example, when multiple information of the same type needs to be indicated, the indication methods of different information can not be the same. In the specific implementation process, the required indication method can be selected according to the specific needs, and the selected indication method is not limited by the embodiments of the application. In this way, the indication method involved in the embodiments of the application should be understood as covering various methods that can enable the to-be-indicated party to know the to-be-indicated information. The to-be-indicated information can be sent as a whole, or can be divided into multiple sub-information and sent separately, and the sending period or sending time of the sub-information can be the same or different. The specific sending method is not limited by the application. The sending period or sending time of the sub-information can be pre-defined, for example, pre-defined according to a protocol, or configured by the transmitting end device by sending configuration information to the receiving end device.

[0082] In the present application, "sending" and "receiving" represent the direction of signal transmission. For example, "sending information to XX" can be understood as that the destination of the information is XX, which can include direct sending through the air interface, or indirect sending through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receiving information from YY" can be understood as that the source of the information is YY, which can include direct receiving from YY through the air interface, or indirect receiving from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Sending" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receiving" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface. In other words, sending and receiving can be carried out between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or can be carried out within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules or hardware modules within a device through a bus, wire or interface.

[0083] In the present application, "predefined" can mean standard protocol predefined, or can also mean pre-agreed or pre-negotiated between devices. In the present application, "protocol" can refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, which can include 5G protocol, NR protocol and related protocols applied to future communication systems, and the present application does not limit it. "Predefined" can include predefinition. For example, protocol definition. "Pre-configuration" can be realized by pre-saving corresponding codes, tables or other ways that can be used to indicate related information in the device, and the present application does not limit its implementation.

[0084] In the present application, the words such as "exemplarily" and "such as" are used to represent examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "example" in the present application should not be interpreted as more preferred or more advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. On the contrary, the word "example" is used to present the concept in a specific way. In the embodiments of the present application, "of", "corresponding" and "corresponding" can be used interchangeably at times. It should be pointed out that when there is no emphasis on their differences, the meanings they express are consistent.

[0085] In the present application, the same or similar parts of each embodiment can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified. In the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be mutually referred to, unless otherwise specified and logically conflicted. Different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship. The implementation modes of the present application described below do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present application.

[0086] The technical solutions provided in the present application can be used in various communication systems, which can be a third generation partnership project (3rd generation partnership project, 3GPP) related cellular system, for example, a fourth generation (4th generation, 4G) long term evolution (long term evolution, LTE) system, an evolved LTE system (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (frequency division duplex, FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (time division duplex, TDD), a universal mobile communication system (universal mobile telecommunication system, UMTS), a fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) new radio (new radio, NR) system, a vehicle to everything (vehicle to everything, V2X) system, a system of LTE and NR hybrid networking, or a device-to-device (device-to-device, D2D) system, a machine to machine (machine to machine, M2M) communication system, an internet of things (internet of things, IoT), a narrowband internet of things (narrow band-internet of things, NB-IoT), and a future communication system.

[0087] Alternatively, the communication system can also be a non-3GPP communication system, for example, an open radio access network (open radio access network, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (cloud radio access network, CRAN), a wireless fidelity (wireless fidelity, WiFi) system, or a communication system fused by multiple communication systems described above, which is not limited in the present application.

[0088] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applied. Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of a possible, non-limiting, architecture of a system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (e.g. 110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (e.g. 120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). Other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1), etc., can also be included in the RAN 100. The terminal devices 120 are connected to the RAN nodes 110 wirelessly. The RAN nodes 110 are connected to the core network 200 by wireline or wirelessly. The core network devices in the core network 200 and the RAN nodes 110 in the RAN 100 can be different physical devices respectively, or can be the same physical device integrating the core network logical functions and the radio access network logical functions.

[0089] The RAN 100 can be a 3GPP related cellular system, such as a 4G, 5G mobile communication system, or a future-oriented evolved system. The RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN or ORAN), a CRAN, or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system. The RAN 100 can also be a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems.

[0090] The RAN nodes 110, which can also be referred to as network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, etc., are part of the communication system to help terminal devices to access wirelessly. The RAN nodes 110 in the communication system can be the same type of nodes or different types of nodes. In some scenarios, the roles of the RAN nodes 110 and the terminal devices 120 are relative, e.g. the network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or a drone, which can be configured to be a mobile base station. For a terminal device 120j accessing to the RAN 100 through the network element 120i, the network element 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, the network element 120i is a terminal device. The RAN nodes 110 and the terminal devices 120 are sometimes referred to as communication apparatuses, e.g. the network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication apparatuses with base station functions, and the network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication apparatuses with terminal functions.

[0091] Terminal device, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), fixed wireless access (FWA), customer premise equipment (CPE), etc. The terminal device is a device including a wireless communication function (providing voice / data connectivity to users). For example, handheld devices with wireless connection functions, vehicle-mounted devices, machine type communication (MTC) terminals, etc. At present, the terminal device can include: mobile phone, tablet computer, notebook computer, palm computer, mobile internet device (MID), wearable device, virtual reality (VR) device, augmented reality (AR) device, wireless terminal in industrial control, wireless terminal in self driving (e.g. drone, vehicle), wireless terminal in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal in smart grid, wireless terminal in transportation safety, wireless terminal in smart city, or wireless terminal in smart home, etc. For example, the wireless terminal in self driving can be a drone, helicopter, or airplane, etc. For example, the wireless terminal in Internet of Vehicles can be a vehicle-mounted device, whole vehicle device, vehicle-mounted module, vehicle, or ship, etc. The wireless terminal in industrial control can be a camera, robot, or mechanical arm, etc. The wireless terminal in smart home can be a television, air conditioner, sweeping machine, sound box, or set-top box, etc. The terminal device can also be a device or module with corresponding communication function accessing the above-mentioned communication system. The terminal device is usually provided with a communication module, circuit or chip for executing corresponding communication functions, and is also configured with program instructions for executing corresponding communication functions.

[0092] It should be noted that the terminal device can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus integrated with a circuit, or a chip, chip system, module or control unit in the above-mentioned devices or apparatus, which is not limited in the present application. It should be noted that in the present application, when referring to the terminal device, it can refer to the terminal device itself, or the chip, functional module or integrated circuit in the terminal device for completing the method provided in the present application, which is not limited in the present application.

[0093] The RAN is a device deployed in a wireless access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. The RAN can also be referred to as a RAN entity, an access node, a network node, a network device, or a communication apparatus, etc.

[0094] Specifically, the RAN can be a network device of a 3GPP related cellular system. For example, a 4G mobile communication system, a 5G mobile communication system, or a future communication system. The RAN can also be a network device in an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). Alternatively, the RAN can also be a network device in a communication system obtained by fusing two or more of the above communication systems.

[0095] The RAN includes, but is not limited to, an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home base station (for example, home evolved NodeB, or home NodeB, HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a macro base station, a micro base station, a wireless relay node, a donor node, a radio controller in a CRAN scenario, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and receiving point (TRP). The RAN can also be a network device in a 5G mobile communication system. For example, a future communication network, a TRP, a TP, or one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in an NR system in a 5G mobile communication system. Alternatively, the RAN can also be a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point. For example, a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU), etc. The CU and the DU can be separately provided or included in the same network element. For example, a BBU. The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit. For example, in a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). Alternatively, the RAN can also be a server, a wearable device, a vehicle or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. For example, in V2X technology, the RAN can be a road side unit (RSU).

[0096] It should be noted that in different systems, the CU (or centralized unit-control plane (CU-CP) and centralized unit-user plane (CU-UP)), DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an open radio access network (O-RAN or ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an open centralized unit (O-CU) or an open CU, the DU can also be referred to as an open distributed unit (O-DU), the CU-CP can also be referred to as an open centralized unit-control plane (O-CU-CP) or an open CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an open centralized unit-user plane (O-CU-UP) or an open CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an open radio unit (O-RU). The specific application is not limited. Any one of the CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU and RU in the present application can be realized by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0097] As shown in (a) of FIG. 2, the ORAN system includes a core network, a network device and a UE. Optionally, the ORAN system can also include other components in addition to the components shown in (a) of FIG. 2, and the specific application is not limited.

[0098] The network device can communicate with the core network (CN) through a backhaul (BH) link. The network device can communicate with the UE through an air interface. Specifically, the BBU in the network device communicates with the core network through the backhaul link. The RU in the network device communicates with at least one UE through the air interface. The BBU communicates with at least one RU through a fronthaul link, and the BBU and the RU can be co-located or not co-located. The BBU includes at least one CU and at least one DU, and the CU and the DU can communicate through at least one midhaul link.

[0099] In a possible implementation, as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, the CU is a logical node carrying radio resource control (RRC), a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and other control functions of the network device. The CU can be connected to network nodes such as a core network through some interfaces. For example, an E2 interface. Optionally, the CU can have part of the functions of the core network. The CU (for example, the PDCP layer and / or higher layer of the CU) is connected to the DU (for example, the radio link control (RLC) layer and lower layer of the DU) through some interfaces. For example, an F1 interface. Optionally, the F1 interface can provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane) functions (for example, interface management, system information management, UE context management, RRC message transmission, and the like). F1AP is an application protocol of the F1 interface, which defines signaling procedures of the F1 in some examples. The F1 interface supports control plane F1-C and user plane F1-U.

[0100] Optionally, as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, the CU can be split into a CU-CP and a CU-UP, wherein the CU-CP is a logical node carrying the control plane part of PDCP (PDCP-C) layer of the RRC layer and the packet data convergence protocol layer, used to implement the control plane function of the CU. The CU-CP can interact with a network element in the core network for implementing the control plane function. The network element in the core network for implementing the control plane function can be an access and mobility function network element, such as an access and mobility management (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is used to be responsible for the mobility management in the mobile network, such as the location update of the terminal device, the registration network of the terminal device, the handover of the terminal device, etc. The CU-UP is a logical node carrying the user plane part of PDCP (PDCP-U) layer of the SDAP layer and the packet data convergence protocol layer, used to implement the user plane function of the CU. The CU-UP can interact with a network element in the core network for implementing the user plane function. The network element in the core network for implementing the user plane function, for example, a user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, is used to be responsible for the forwarding and receiving of data in the terminal device. The above configuration of the CU and the DU is only an example, and in actual application, the CU and the DU can also be configured to have functions according to needs. For example, the CU or the DU can be configured to have more functions of the protocol layer, or the CU or the DU can be configured to have part of the processing function of the protocol layer. For example, part of the function of the RLC layer and the function of the protocol layer above the RLC layer are set in the CU, and the remaining function of the RLC layer and the function of the protocol layer below the RLC layer are set in the DU. For another example, the function of the CU or the DU can be divided according to the service type or other system requirements, for example, according to the delay, the function that needs to meet the delay requirement of the processing time is set in the DU, and the function that does not need to meet the delay requirement is set in the CU.

[0101] In a possible implementation, as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, the DU is a logical node carrying an RLC layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, a higher physical layer (Higher PHY), and other functions. In some examples, the DU can control at least one RU. The DU is connected with the RU through some interfaces, which can be a front-haul interface. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes parts of physical (PHY) layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, and the like.

[0102] In a possible implementation, as shown in (b) of FIG. 2, the RU is a logical node carrying a lower physical layer (Lower PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPP transmission reception point (TRP) or a remote radio head (RRH) or other similar functional entity. In some examples, the Lower-PHY includes parts of PHY processing, such as fast fourier transform (FFT), inverse fast fourier transformation (IFFT), digital beamforming and filtering, and the like. The RU communicates with one or more UEs through a wireless link.

[0103] The DU and the RU can or can not be co-located. The DU and the RU exchange control plane information and user plane information via a lower-layer split-CUS-plane (LLS-CUS) interface over a fronthaul link. The LLS-CUS can include a lower-layer split control (LLS-C) interface and a lower-layer split user (LLS-U) interface that provide control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane), respectively. In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and the RU. The DU and the RU have a lower-layer split management (LLS-M) interface of the fronthaul link to exchange management information, and the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and the RU. In addition, the LLS-M interface can also interact with a management system to exchange information.

[0104] The DU and the RU can cooperate to jointly implement the functions of the PHY layer. One DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of the DU and the RU can be configured in multiple ways according to design. For example, the DU is configured to implement baseband functions, and the RU is configured to implement mid- radio functions. For another example, the DU is configured to implement high-layer functions in the PHY layer, and the RU is configured to implement low-layer functions in the PHY layer or to implement the low-layer functions and radio functions. The high-layer functions in the PHY layer can include a portion of the functions of the PHY layer that are closer to the MAC layer, and the low-layer functions in the PHY layer can include another portion of the functions of the PHY layer that are closer to the mid-radio side.

[0105] In different systems, the CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), the DU, or the RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, in an ORAN system, the CU can also be referred to as an O-CU (open CU), the DU can also be referred to as an O-DU, the CU-CP can also be referred to as an O-CU-CP, the CU-UP can also be referred to as an O-CU-UP, and the RU can also be referred to as an O-RU. For the convenience of description, the CU, the CU-CP, the CU-UP, the DU, and the RU are taken as examples for description in this application.

[0106] It should be noted that the network device can be a device or apparatus with a chip, or a device or apparatus integrated with a circuit, or a chip, a chip system, a module or a control unit in the above-mentioned device or apparatus, and the specific application is not limited. It should be noted that in this application, when referring to the network device, it can refer to the network device itself, or the chip, functional module or integrated circuit in the network device that completes the method provided in the application, and the specific application is not limited.

[0107] Referring to FIG. 3, it is a structural schematic diagram of a communication network element between a terminal device and a network device in the embodiment of the present application. The terminal device 10 includes a processor 101, a memory 102 and a transceiver 103, and the transceiver 103 includes a transmitter 1031, a receiver 1032 and an antenna 1033. The network device 20 includes a processor 201, a memory 202 and a transceiver 203, and the transceiver 203 includes a transmitter 2031, a receiver 2032 and an antenna 2033. The receiver 1032 can be used to receive transmission control information through the antenna 1033, and the transmitter 1031 can be used to send transmission feedback information to the network device 20 through the antenna 1033. The transmitter 2031 can be used to send transmission control information to the terminal device 10 through the antenna 2033, and the receiver 2032 can be used to receive transmission feedback information sent by the terminal device 10 through the antenna 2033. The memory 102 and the memory 202 store computer program codes.

[0108] In order to facilitate the understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, first, a brief introduction of the related technologies of the present application is given as follows.

[0109] 1. Antenna port and port group:

[0110] The antenna port is a logical concept, and one antenna port does not have a direct correspondence with one physical antenna. The antenna port is usually associated with a reference signal, and its meaning can be understood as a transceiving interface on the channel experienced by the reference signal. For a low-frequency system, one antenna port can correspond to one or more antenna elements, and these elements jointly send the reference signal, and the receiving end can regard them as a whole and does not need to distinguish these elements. For a high-frequency system, the antenna port can correspond to a beam, and similarly, the receiving end only needs to regard the beam as an interface and does not need to distinguish each element.

[0111] In the embodiments of the present application, the antenna port that sends the analog beam can be referred to as an analog antenna port, or simply referred to as an antenna port or a port.

[0112] The port group mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be a plurality of digital ports corresponding to a same analog beam, or the port group can be a plurality of digital port sets corresponding to a plurality of analog beams, or the plurality of digital ports corresponding to a same analog beam are divided into a plurality of subsets, and each subset is a port group. The port group can also be referred to as a digital-to-analog port group, etc.

[0113] 2. Beam:

[0114] A beam is a kind of communication resource. The beam can be a wide beam, or a narrow beam, or other types of beams. The technology of forming a beam can be referred to as beamforming technology. The beamforming technology refers to adjusting the amplitude and / or phase of a signal so that the radiation signal radiated by the antenna array has a certain directivity, which can achieve higher antenna array gain. The main lobe of the radiation pattern of the antenna array can be referred to as a beam.

[0115] In the beamforming technology, the amplitude and / or phase adjustment is realized after the signal is filtered by a spatial domain transmission filter. Different spatial domain transmission filters adopt different spatial domain filter parameters to realize beams in different directions. In the embodiments of the present application, the spatial domain filter parameter can be replaced by a beam, or the spatial domain filter parameter can be replaced by a spatial domain transmission filter. The spatial domain transmission filter can also be referred to as a spatial filter, a spatial filter, a spatial domain parameter, a spatial parameter, a spatial domain setting, a spatial setting, quasi-colocation (QCL) information, a QCL assumption, or a QCL indication, etc. The beam can be represented by a transmission configuration indicator parameter, or represented by a spatial relation parameter. The transmission configuration indicator can be referred to as transmission configuration indicator state (TCI-state), transmission configuration indication state (TCI-state), or transmission configuration index state (TCI-state), etc.

[0116] Specifically, the beamforming technology includes a digital beamforming (DBF) technology, an analog beamforming (ABF) technology, and a hybrid beamforming (HBF) technology. Among them, the DBF technology has multiple digital processing channels, and the phase (or amplitude and phase) of the signal is adjusted in the digital domain through each digital processing channel, so that the radiation signal radiated by the antenna has directivity. Therefore, for the DBF technology, the function of the above-mentioned spatial domain transmission filter can be realized through multiple digital processing channels. The ABF technology can simultaneously send signals through an antenna array composed of multiple antenna elements, each antenna element corresponds to a phase shifter, and the phase of the phase shifter corresponding to each antenna element is adjusted to realize that the radiation signal radiated by the antenna array has directivity. Therefore, for the ABF technology, the function of the above-mentioned spatial domain transmission filter can be realized through multiple phase shifters corresponding to multiple elements in the antenna array. The HBF technology is a combination of the ABF technology and the DBF technology, which has multiple digital processing channels and multiple analog phase shifters. Therefore, for the hybrid beamforming technology, the function of the above-mentioned spatial domain transmission filter can be realized through multiple phase shifters corresponding to multiple elements in the antenna array and multiple digital processing channels. However, the present application is not limited thereto, and the above-mentioned spatial domain transmission filter can also be realized through other technologies.

[0117] 3. Time unit:

[0118] The time unit is, for example but not limited to, one or more radio frames, or one or more subframes, or one or more slots, or one or more mini slots, or one or more sub slots, or one or more symbols, or a time window composed of multiple frames or subframes, such as a system information (SI) window. The time length of one symbol is not limited. The length of one symbol can be different for different subcarrier spacings.

[0119] The time domain resource is, for example but not limited to, one or more orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. For example, the time domain resource occupied by the reference signal (RS) can be indicated by the start symbol (or start position) and the number of symbols configured by the network device.

[0120] The symbols include uplink symbols and downlink symbols, where the uplink symbols can be referred to as single carrier-frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols or OFDM symbols; and the downlink symbols can be OFDM symbols.

[0121] 4. Reference signal (RS):

[0122] The reference signal is also referred to as a pilot signal. In a communication system, it is necessary to transmit and receive data, acquire system synchronization and feedback channel information, estimate an uplink channel or a downlink channel. Channel estimation refers to a process of reconstructing or recovering a received signal to compensate for signal distortion caused by channel fading and noise due to fading. It uses a reference signal known by the transmitter and the receiver to track the time-domain and frequency-domain changes of the channel. The reference signal is also referred to as a reference signal, which is distributed in different resource elements (REs) in the time-frequency two-dimensional space within an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol, and has a known amplitude and phase.

[0123] At the physical layer, uplink communication can include transmission of uplink physical channels and uplink signals (or also referred to as uplink reference signals). The uplink physical channels include a random access channel (PRACH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), etc., and the uplink signals include a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink control channel demodulation reference signal (PUCCH-DMRS), a physical uplink shared channel demodulation reference signal (PUSCH-DMRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), an uplink positioning reference signal (for example: a positioning SRS or an SRS for positioning), etc.

[0124] At the physical layer, the downlink communication can include transmission of downlink physical channels and downlink signals (or, also can be referred to as downlink reference signals). Among them, the downlink physical channels include a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc., and the downlink signals include a primary synchronization signal (PSS) / secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a physical downlink control channel de-modulation reference signal (PDCCH-DMRS), a physical downlink shared channel de-modulation reference signal (PDSCH-DMRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a cell reference signal (CRS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a positioning RS, etc.

[0125] It should be understood that the reference signals listed above are only examples and should not constitute any limitation on the present application. The present application does not exclude the possibility of defining other reference signals in future protocols to achieve the same or similar functions.

[0126] 5. Bandwidth part (BWP):

[0127] The network device can configure one or more downlink / uplink bandwidth parts (BWP) for the terminal device, the BWP can be composed of contiguous physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain, and the BWP is a subset of the bandwidth of the terminal device. The minimum granularity of the BWP in the frequency domain is 1 PRB. The system can configure one or more bandwidth parts for the terminal device, and the multiple bandwidth parts can overlap in the frequency domain.

[0128] In a single carrier scenario, a terminal device can only have one active BWP at the same time, and the terminal device can only receive data / reference signals or transmit data / reference signals on the active BWP (active BWP).

[0129] In this application, in the case of BWP scenario, a specific BWP can also be a specific bandwidth set on a specific frequency, or a set of multiple resource blocks (resource blocks, RB).

[0130] 6, SRS:

[0131] SRS is a reference signal transmitted by a terminal device in uplink. The network device uses SRS to evaluate the uplink channel parameters; further, for a TDD system, based on the reciprocity of uplink and downlink channels, SRS can also be used to evaluate new channel parameters. In addition, in addition to using SRS to evaluate channel quality (such as uplink channel parameters and / or downlink channel parameters), the network device can also use SRS to manage uplink beams (such as beam training, beam switching, etc.).

[0132] In 3GPP related protocols, according to the function of SRS, four types of SRS are defined: {beam management (BM), codebook (CB), non-codebook (NCB), antenna switching (AS)}, that is, {beam management, codebook, non-codebook, antenna switching}, or can be abbreviated as {BM, CB, NCB, AS}. Among them, SRS with beam management function is used for uplink beam scanning; for example, multi-panel beam scanning of the terminal device. SRS with codebook function is used for codebook transmission of PUSCH; for example, the terminal device transmits SRS, and the network device determines the data stream number (rank) and precoding matrix indicator (PMI) by detecting SRS, and schedules PUSCH according to the rank and PMI. SRS with non-codebook function is used for non-codebook transmission of PUSCH, and the terminal device obtains downlink channel information based on CSI-RS and calculates uplink weight, and then sends weighted SRS to the network device, and the network device detects the SRS and determines the rank and weighted vector index, and schedules PUSCH according to the rank and weighted vector index. SRS with antenna switching function is used for downlink channel measurement; for example, the terminal device transmits all uplink channel information, so that the network device can calculate the downlink weight based on the reciprocity of uplink and downlink.

[0133] The SRS is configured in the uplink BWP dedicated to the terminal device, that is, BWP-UplinkDedicated->SRS-Config; the SRS is divided into two levels of resource set and resource. The terminal device can be configured with one or more SRS resource sets, and each SRS resource set includes multiple SRS resources. Multiple SRS resources in the same SRS resource set correspond to the same SRS function. Further, different SRS resource sets correspond to different SRS functions. The SRS resource is the smallest unit allocated to the SRS, and each SRS resource corresponds to a set of matching parameters. Specifically, a set of parameters corresponding to any SRS resource can include the contents shown in Table 1.

[0134] Table 1

[0135] The number of ports of the SRS can be 1, 2, or 4. The time domain type of the SRS resource configuration has a period, a semi-static, and a non-periodic. The configuration information of the periodic SRS resource includes a period (for example, 2 milliseconds (ms), 5 ms, 10 ms, etc.) and a bias parameter. After the network device configures the SRS resource through RRC signaling, the terminal device will send the SRS on the determined SRS resource according to the configuration information in the characteristic period. The configuration information of the non-periodic SRS resource does not include a period time domain bias parameter K. When the terminal device receives downlink control information (DCI) at the nth moment, and when the DCI indicates triggering the SRS, the SRS will be sent on the corresponding SRS resource at the nth+K moment, where K and n are positive integers. Among them, the configuration parameters of the SRS resource configured by the RRC signaling can include the contents shown in Table 2:

[0136] Table 2

[0137] Among them, n RRC represents the frequency domain starting position of the user SRS bandwidth relative to freqDomainShift, which is usually in units of 4 RBs; n shift represents the frequency domain starting position of the SRS full bandwidth relative to the cell bandwidth; C SRS represents the index of the user-level bandwidth; B SRS represents the index of the user-level bandwidth; b hop represents whether to enable SRS frequency hopping. Among them, the SRS full bandwidth is composed of multiple user-level bandwidths; or in other words, the SRS full bandwidth can be split into multiple user-level bandwidths.

[0138] Specifically, the user-level bandwidth can be represented by mSRS,b m represents the number of RBs occupied by the user-level bandwidth. Specifically, the terminal device can determine the number of RBs occupied by the user-level bandwidth according to the parameter b configured by the network device for the terminal device. SRS,b hop and C SRS The number of RBs occupied by the SRS configuration bandwidth is determined in Table 3; and C SRS = 61, B SRS = 2, b = B SRS ; therefore, by looking up Table 3, it can be known that m SRS,b = m SRS,2 = 68, and N b = N2 = 2.

[0139] Table 3

[0140] In addition, b can represent the number of user-level bandwidths used to constitute the SRS full bandwidth; therefore, it can be considered that the SRS full bandwidth is constituted by two user-level bandwidths, and each user-level bandwidth occupies 68 RBs, so that it can be determined that the SRS full bandwidth occupies 68 x 2 = 136 RBs.

[0141] Further, after m SRS,b is determined, the sequence length of the SRS can be determined according to m SRS,b ; specifically, m SRS,b and the sequence length of the SRS can satisfy the following relationship (1):

[0142] wherein, represents the number of subcarriers occupied by the SRS on each symbol, m SRS，b represents the number of RBs occupied by the SRS on each symbol, represents the number of subcarriers contained in one RB, K TC represents the comb size, such as 2 or 4.

[0143] When b hop ≥ B SRS , the terminal device does not enable the frequency hopping mode. That is, the terminal device transmits the SRS in a non-frequency hopping mode. It should be understood that in the case of using the non-frequency hopping mode, the terminal device transmits the SRS covering the entire SRS full bandwidth at one time. At this time, the value of the frequency domain position index n b is fixed (constant) and satisfies the following relationship (2):

[0144] When b hop < B SRS ​When the terminal device enables the frequency hopping mode, the terminal device transmits the SRS in the frequency hopping mode. It should be understood that in the case of transmitting the SRS in the frequency hopping mode, the SRS transmitted by the terminal device each time only covers a part (i.e., one frequency hopping sub-band) of the full bandwidth of the SRS, and the terminal device transmits the SRS multiple times in one frequency hopping period to cover the full bandwidth of the SRS. At this time, the value of the frequency domain position index n b satisfies the following relationship (3):

[0145] wherein,

[0146] wherein, n RRS is the transmission count of the terminal device (or, it can also be referred to as the SRS transmission number specific to the terminal device).

[0147] For example, C SRS = 61, B SRS = 2, b hop = 0, n RRC = 17, at this time K TC = 0. Therefore, the full bandwidth of the SRS is 272 RBs, the SRS transmission bandwidth m SRS,b = 68 RBs each time, so that the full bandwidth frequency hopping of the configured bandwidth of the SRS resource needs to be performed N0N1N2= 4 times, and b is the layer index.

[0148] Specifically, when the frequency hopping count n SRS = 0, if b = 0, N b = 1, m SRS,b = 272, b < b hop = 0, then the frequency position index if b = 1, N b = 2, m SRS,b = 136, b > b hop . if b = 2, N b = 2, m SRS,b = 68, b > b hop . if b = 3, N b = 17, m SRS,b = 4, b > b hop . By analogy, the frequency domain position index n b of each frequency hopping can be obtained, that is, the frequency domain position index of 4 times of frequency hopping can include the contents shown in Table 4:

[0149] Table 4

[0150] Furthermore, based on the frequency domain position index n b This allows us to determine the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern corresponding to the terminal device across the entire SRS bandwidth. As shown in Table 3 above, when B... SRS When the values ​​of are 0, 1, 2, and 3, the full SRS bandwidth of the 272 RBs can be divided into a tree structure; among them, when B SRS The bandwidth segmentation corresponding to different values ​​of n can be seen in Figure 4. Therefore, when n... SRS When n = 0, b This represents the starting position of the frequency domain when the starting index n0 = 0 for layer 0, the starting index n1 = 0 for layer 1, and the starting index n2 = 1 for layer 2, and the starting index n3 = 0 for layer 3, which corresponds to the starting position of the frequency domain when n3 = 0 for layer 3. This is represented by n in Figure 4. SRS =0 corresponds to the black square; similarly, when n SRS When n = 1, b This represents the starting position of the frequency domain when the starting index n0 = 0 for layer 0, the starting index n1 = 1 for layer 1, and the starting index n2 = 1 for layer 2, and the starting index n3 = 0 for layer 3, which corresponds to the starting position of the frequency domain when n3 = 0 for layer 3. This is shown in Figure 4. SRS =1 corresponds to the black square; ..., when n SRS When n = 3, n b This represents the starting position in the frequency domain of layer 3 when the frequency domain starting index n0 = 0, the frequency domain starting index n1 = 1, and the frequency domain starting index n2 = 0, corresponding to the starting position in the frequency domain of layer 3 when n3 = 0. This is represented by n in Figure 4. SRS =3 corresponds to the black square. In Figure 4, one black square represents 68 RBs, and thus four black squares constitute the 272 RBs of the full SRS bandwidth. That is, within one frequency hopping cycle, the terminal device can transmit SRS using the frequency hopping method shown in Figure 4.

[0151] Furthermore, since each SRS transmission by the terminal device covers a black square in Figure 4, meaning that the terminal device transmits SRS on different time domain units in the time domain, it can also be considered that the terminal device transmits SRS using frequency hopping across four time domain units. These four time domain units can be consecutive or non-consecutive. Specifically, a time domain unit can be a time domain symbol (such as an OFDM symbol), a slot, a radio frame, or a set of one or more time domain symbols or slots, etc.

[0152] Taking the 4 time domain units as 4 continuous OFDM symbols as an example, the time-frequency resources covered by the SRS sent by the terminal device in one frequency hopping period can be as shown in FIG. 5. That is, in one frequency hopping period, the terminal device can send 4 times of SRS to cover the SRS full bandwidth (that is, 272 RBs), and the time-frequency resources covered by each time of sending SRS are a black square in FIG. 5. The black square represents one OFDM symbol in the time domain and 68 RBs in the frequency domain.

[0153] For example, in one frequency hopping period, the time-frequency resources occupied by the SRS sent by the terminal device multiple times can also be collectively referred to as an SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, that is, the terminal device can send SRS according to the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern in one frequency hopping period; and FIG. 5 is an SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

[0154] The SRS resource frequency hopping pattern is composed of multiple SRS pattern blocks; the frequency domain resources of each SRS pattern block are different, and the frequency domain resources of the multiple SRS pattern blocks are the SRS full bandwidth, that is, the frequency domain resources of each SRS pattern block are a part of the SRS full bandwidth, and there is no overlap between the frequency domain resources of the multiple SRS pattern blocks. For example, one black square in FIG. 5 is an SRS pattern block, and at this time, the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern is composed of 4 SRS pattern blocks.

[0155] In addition, the terminal device usually sends SRS by using one or more ports; the frequency hopping pattern used by each port can be referred to as an SRS resource pattern. Based on the foregoing, the SRS resource is the smallest unit allocated by the SRS, so the SRS resource pattern used by each port is the same, which is the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern; that is, when the number of ports of the SRS is greater than 1 (that is, the number of ports of the SRS is 2 or 4), the SRS resource pattern used by each port is based on the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

[0156] For example, each port sends SRS by using the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern shown in FIG. 5; that is, the SRS sent on each port covers the SRS full bandwidth. Therefore, the network device measures the channel information of the SRS full bandwidth based on the SRS sent by each port on the SRS full bandwidth. That is, each port needs to send an uplink reference signal on the full bandwidth, and the network device can measure the channel information of the full bandwidth based on the SRS sent by multiple ports.

[0157] Therefore, the application provides a communication method and device for configuring SRS. A terminal-side communication device can be configured with different frequency domain resources for each antenna port under the same SRS resource configuration. The terminal-side communication device transmits SRS on the antenna port in each port group, and the resource carried by the SRS is the frequency domain resource of the port group to which the antenna port belongs. For example, the plurality of antenna ports under the same SRS resource configuration can be divided into N groups. Each port group is configured with a different SRS resource pattern, and the N port groups correspond to N SRS resource patterns. The frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns is a part of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern (i.e., the N SRS resource patterns constitute the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern). That is, the terminal-side communication device transmits SRS on the antenna port in each port group, and the SRS covers a part of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, so that the SRS transmitted by the N antenna port groups collectively covers the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

[0158] Further, after receiving the SRS of the antenna port in one port group and measuring the SRS to obtain the channel information of the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the one port group, the network-side communication device can use the correlation of the plurality of antenna port groups to equivalently obtain the channel information as follows: the terminal device transmits SRS on the SRS resource pattern by using the antenna port in any one of the N-1 port groups other than the one port group in the N port groups, and the network-side communication device obtains the channel information by measuring the SRS. That is, the terminal-side communication device only needs to transmit SRS on one SRS resource pattern by using one port group, so that the network-side communication device can infer (or estimate or equivalently obtain) the channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern measured by the network-side communication device for each port group when each port group transmits SRS on the preconfigured bandwidth, and further determine the real channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern. Compared with the scheme in which the SRS transmitted on each antenna port in the plurality of antenna ports under the SRS resource configuration covers the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, the resource consumption can be reduced and the resource utilization can be improved.

[0159] The method provided by the embodiments of the application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments provided by the application can be applied to the communication system shown in FIG. 1, without limitation.

[0160] In the following embodiments, the terminal-side communication apparatus is taken as an example of a terminal device, and the network-side communication apparatus is taken as an example of a network device, to exemplarily illustrate the interaction between the terminal-side communication apparatus and the network-side communication apparatus. The terminal device can be replaced by a component (for example, a chip or a chip system or a circuit) of the terminal device, and the network device can be replaced by a component (for example, a chip or a chip system or a circuit) of the network device.

[0161] Referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a communication method for configuring SRS provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method shown in FIG. 6 can include the following steps S601-S603:

[0162] S601, the network device determines configuration information.

[0163] The configuration information indicates the number N of port groups, the N port groups correspond to N SRS resource patterns respectively, the N SRS resource patterns constitute an SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, and N is greater than 1 and less than or equal to the total number of antenna ports in the SRS resource where the N port groups are located.

[0164] Exemplarily, the SRS resource pattern refers to the time-frequency resource corresponding to the antenna port in one port group within one frequency hopping period, and the time-frequency resource is used to carry SRS. Since the N SRS resource patterns constitute the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, the frequency domain resource in the time-frequency resource is part of the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern. That is, the time-frequency resource of the SRS resource pattern is part of the time-frequency resource of the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

[0165] In addition, the N port groups correspond to the N SRS resource patterns respectively, that is, the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource pattern corresponding to each port group in the N port groups is part of the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern. Exemplarily, the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern can be divided into N parts, and each part is the frequency domain resource corresponding to the antenna port in one port group. Therefore, it can also be considered that the frequency domain resource in the N SRS resource patterns constitutes the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

[0166] It should be understood that, unless otherwise specified, the respective correspondence mentioned in the embodiments of the present application means one-to-one correspondence. For example, a plurality of parameters A correspond to a plurality of parameters B, that is, a plurality of parameters A correspond to a plurality of parameters B one-to-one, that is, each parameter A corresponds to one parameter B. In this unified specification, no further description is given.

[0167] It should also be understood that the reference signal is taken as an example of SRS in the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and of course the method provided by the present application can also be applicable to other reference signals, which will not be enumerated one by one.

[0168] Optionally, the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource hopping pattern is less than or equal to the preconfigured bandwidth; or in other words, the preconfigured bandwidth includes the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource hopping pattern.

[0169] For example, the preconfigured bandwidth can be the SRS full bandwidth configured by the SRS resource; or it can also be a preconfigured bandwidth of any size. In addition, the preconfigured bandwidth can be configured together with the SRS resource, or it can also be configured through other manners (such as pre-agreement between the terminal device and the network device, such as predefinition through a protocol), which is not limited by the present application.

[0170] For the convenience of description, the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource hopping pattern is equal to the preconfigured bandwidth, that is, the preconfigured bandwidth is the frequency domain resource of the SRS resource hopping pattern, which is taken as an example for introduction, and the unified description is not repeated here.

[0171] Based on the foregoing, when b hop ≥ B SRS , the terminal device does not enable frequency hopping, at this time, the SRS frequency hopping scheme shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 can be used, that is, the SRS transmitted by the terminal device on each antenna port covers the preconfigured bandwidth. hop < B SRS , the terminal device enables frequency hopping, so that the terminal device can select the scheme shown in FIG. 6, that is, the SRS transmitted by the terminal device on each port group covers part of the preconfigured bandwidth.

[0172] For example, the SRS resource hopping pattern refers to: the time-frequency resource corresponding to the N port groups in one hopping period, which is used to carry the SRS. And the frequency domain resource in the time-frequency resource is the preconfigured bandwidth; therefore, the frequency domain resource in the N SRS resource patterns constitutes the preconfigured bandwidth, which can also be understood as: the N SRS resource patterns constitute the SRS resource hopping pattern, or in other words, the SRS resource hopping pattern includes the N SRS resource patterns.

[0173] Specifically, taking the case that N is equal to 2 and the terminal device needs to send SRS 4 times in one frequency hopping period to cover the preconfigured bandwidth (i.e. needs to experience 4 times of frequency hopping) as an example, as shown in FIG. 7, the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern is composed of 2 SRS resource patterns. Wherein, each shaded square in FIG. 7 represents the time-frequency resource carried by the terminal device sending SRS once in one frequency hopping period, and the pattern composed of the 4 shaded squares is the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern; the SRS sent on the antenna ports in each port group experiences 2 times of frequency hopping, i.e. the SRS resource pattern corresponding to each port group in the 2 port groups is composed of 2 shaded squares (i.e. 2 shaded squares with the same shadow shape), such as the SRS resource pattern corresponding to port group #1 is composed of 2 black squares in FIG. 7, and the SRS resource pattern corresponding to port group #2 is composed of 2 squares with stripes in FIG. 7.

[0174] In addition, the time-frequency resource carried by the SRS experiencing one frequency hopping can be referred to as an SRS pattern block, i.e. each square in the 4 shaded squares in FIG. 7 is an SRS pattern block; therefore in FIG. 7, the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern is composed of 4 SRS pattern blocks; the SRS resource pattern is composed of 2 SRS pattern blocks.

[0175] It should be understood that the above FIG. 7 exemplarily takes the case that N is equal to 2 and experiences 4 times of frequency hopping in one frequency hopping period to list the possible relationship among the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, the SRS resource pattern and the SRS pattern block; in fact, when N is other values than 2 and / or experiences other times of frequency hopping than 4 times in one frequency hopping period, other corresponding relationships among the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, the SRS resource pattern and the SRS pattern block can also exist, which is not limited by the present application.

[0176] Optionally, the size of the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns can be the same or different.

[0177] For example, the pre-configured bandwidth can be divided into N parts; wherein the size of the N parts of frequency domain resources can be the same or different. When the size of the N parts of frequency domain resources is the same, it means that the size of the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern is the same; that is, the pre-configured bandwidth is equally divided into N parts, that is, the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern is 1 / N of the pre-configured bandwidth; (a) or (b) in FIG. 8 is an implementation of each SRS resource pattern when the pre-configured bandwidth is equally divided into 2 parts (that is, N = 2). When the size of the N parts of frequency domain resources is different, it means that the size of the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern is different; that is, the pre-configured bandwidth is not equally divided; (c) or (d) in FIG. 8 is an implementation of each SRS resource pattern when the pre-configured bandwidth is not equally divided into 2 parts (that is, N = 2). Wherein, when N = 2, taking the two port groups respectively as port group #1 and port group #2 as an example, in (a)-(d) in FIG. 8, the two black blocks are collectively referred to as the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group #1, and the two blocks with stripes are collectively referred to as the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group #2.

[0178] In addition, since the frequency domain resource of each SRS resource pattern is one of the N parts of frequency domain resources divided by the pre-configured bandwidth, the frequency domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap; that is, the frequency domain starting positions of the N SRS resource patterns are different. Further, when each SRS resource pattern is composed of at least one SRS pattern block, the frequency domain starting positions of the plurality of SRS pattern blocks included in the N SRS resource patterns are also different. For example, when the SRS pattern block is any one of the black blocks shown in FIG. 4, its frequency domain starting position can be n b For details, please refer to the related description of FIG. 4 and Table 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0179] For example, each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns includes at least one SRS pattern block, and the frequency domain resource of the at least one SRS pattern block is different.

[0180] Specifically, the different frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block means that the starting positions of the frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block are different, and the sizes of the frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block are the same or different. Specifically, when the sizes of the frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block are the same, the N SRS resource patterns can be as shown in (a) or (c) of FIG. 8, that is, the sizes of the frequency domain resources of any two SRS pattern blocks in the at least one SRS pattern block are the same; when the sizes of the frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block are different, the N SRS resource patterns can be as shown in (b) or (d) of FIG. 8; and the sizes of the frequency domain resources of the two SRS pattern blocks in the at least one SRS pattern block are different. In addition, the implementation of each SRS pattern block in FIG. 8 (that is, (a)-(d) in FIG. 8) is similar to the implementation of the SRS pattern block in FIG. 7 described above, and details can be referred to the related description of FIG. 7 described above, which will not be described here.

[0181] For convenience of description, the size of the frequency domain resource of the at least one SRS pattern block in each SRS resource pattern is taken as an example for description below, and the same description will not be repeated.

[0182] For example, the antenna ports participating in grouping are in the same SRS resource, that is, a plurality of antenna ports in the same resource configuration are divided into N groups, and each port group can include at least one antenna port. Each antenna port in the at least one antenna port shares the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group in which the antenna port is located. That is, the SRSs transmitted on the antenna ports in the same port group cover the same time-frequency resources.

[0183] Specifically, the plurality of antenna ports are divided into at least two groups, that is, N is greater than or equal to 2; and the plurality of antenna ports are divided into at most M groups, where M is the total number of the plurality of antenna ports, and each port group in the M port groups includes one antenna port, that is, the value of N is less than or equal to the total number of the antenna ports in the SRS resource. For example, the value of N can be 2, 4.

[0184] For example, the time domain resources in the N SRS resource patterns can include the following two possible implementation manners:

[0185] In one possible implementation manner, the time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap.

[0186] For example, the time-frequency resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap, which means that the time-domain resources of any two SRS resource patterns in the N SRS resource patterns are different. Specifically, the time-domain resources of any two SRS resource patterns are different, which means that the starting positions of the time-domain resources of the two SRS resource patterns are different, and / or the sizes of the time-domain resources are different. For ease of description, the starting positions of the time-domain resources of any two SRS resource patterns in the N SRS resource patterns are different, and the sizes of the time-domain resources are the same, which are uniformly described below and will not be repeated.

[0187] Specifically, taking the value of N as 2 and the terminal device needing to send SRS 4 times in one frequency hopping period to cover the preconfigured bandwidth (that is, needing to experience 4 times of frequency hopping) as an example, the two SRS resource patterns can be as shown in FIG. 7, and at this time, the terminal device sends SRS 4 times on 4 time-domain units.

[0188] It can be understood that in the SRS resource configuration, each antenna port in the same SRS resource is configured with the same time-frequency resource. That is, in one frequency hopping period, the frequency hopping times of each antenna port and the frequency domain resources of frequency hopping are the same. Wherein, the frequency hopping times in one frequency hopping period can satisfy the following relationship (4):

[0189] Wherein, N b′ represents the number of frequency hopping times of each antenna port in one frequency hopping period. SRS The value of b is b', and the number of the preconfigured bandwidth is b'.

[0190] Therefore, when the antenna ports in different port groups are configured with different time-frequency resources, that is, in one frequency hopping period, the frequency hopping times of the antenna ports in each port group and the frequency domain resources of frequency hopping are the same; the frequency hopping times of the antenna ports in different port groups are the same, and the frequency domain resources of frequency hopping are different. At this time, the frequency hopping times of each port group can satisfy the following relationship (5), that is, the above relationship (4) can be replaced by the following relationship (5):

[0191] Wherein, N portnum represents the number of port groups N.

[0192] For example, based on the foregoing, the frequency domain starting position n b of the SRS pattern block in each SRS resource pattern can be determined based on n SRS . Specifically, taking the corresponding relationship between n b and n SRS as shown in Table 5 as an example, at this time, n b corresponding to different port groups is different.

[0193] Table 5

[0194] When the port group N is 2, n in Table 5 b It can be split into 2 parts; one part n b Part or all of n b The frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to one of the two port groups; the other part n b Part or all of n b This refers to the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to the other port group in the two-port grouping. For example, n in Table 5 SRS n corresponding to 0 to 8 b Part or all of n b This can be the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to one of the two port groups; correspondingly, n in Table 5 SRS n corresponding to 9 to 17 b Part or all of n b This can be the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to the other port group in the two port groups. Taking the port group indices of the two port groups as protId=1 and protId=2 as an example, Table 5 above can be split into Table 6A and Table 6B:

[0195] Table 6A

[0196] Table 6B

[0197] Among them, n in Table 6A b Part or all of n b This can be the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to the port group where protIdx = 1. n in Table 6B b Part or all of n b This can be the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to the port group with protIdx=2.

[0198] It should be understood that Tables 5, 6A, and 6B above exemplify the examples of n within a frequency hopping cycle. b When the value range of is shown in Table 5, within this frequency hopping period, the n corresponding to each port group b Possible implementations of n's values ​​(i.e., as shown in Table 6A or Table 6B); in fact, n within a frequency hopping cycle b The value range of can also be other implementations besides those in Table 5 above. Accordingly, within this frequency hopping period, the n corresponding to each port group b There are other implementations for the value of , which are not restricted in this application.

[0199] Based on the possible implementation, when the time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap, the current frequency hopping manner can be followed, and the change to the standard is small, so that the scheme is easier to implement. Further, the SRS pattern blocks in the frequency hopping manner are configured to different port groups, so that the frequency domain resources corresponding to different port groups are different, that is, the SRS transmitted on the antenna ports in each port group only needs to cover a part of the preconfigured bandwidth, thereby saving resource consumption and improving the efficiency of SRS frequency hopping.

[0200] In another possible implementation, the time-frequency resources of the N SRS resource patterns overlap.

[0201] For example, the time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns overlap, which can be understood as that the time domain resources of any two SRS resource patterns of the N SRS resource patterns partially overlap or completely overlap. When the two SRS resource patterns are any two SRS resource patterns of the N SRS resource patterns, the time domain resources of the two SRS resource patterns completely overlap, which can be understood as that the time domain resources of any two SRS resource patterns of the N SRS resource patterns are the same, that is, the time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns are the same. For example, the starting positions of the time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns are the same, and the sizes of the time domain resources are the same.

[0202] Specifically, taking the value of N as 2 (that is, the number of port groups is 2) and the terminal device needing to transmit SRS 4 times in one frequency hopping period to cover the preconfigured bandwidth (that is, needing to experience 4 times of frequency hopping) as an example, when the time domain resources of the two SRS resource patterns partially overlap, the two SRS resource patterns can be as shown in (a) of FIG. 9, at this time, the terminal device transmits SRS 4 times on 3 time domain units; when the time domain resources of the two SRS resource patterns completely overlap, the two SRS resource patterns can be as shown in (b) of FIG. 9, at this time, the terminal device transmits SRS 4 times on 2 time domain units. For example, when the two port groups are port group #1 and port group #2, in (a)-(b) of FIG. 9, the two black blocks can be collectively referred to as the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group #1, and the two blocks with stripes can be collectively referred to as the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group #2.

[0203] In addition, the implementation of the SRS pattern block in each SRS resource pattern in FIG. 9 (that is, (a) and (b) of FIG. 9) is similar to the implementation of the SRS pattern block in FIG. 7, and specific can be referred to the related description of FIG. 7, which will not be repeated here.

[0204] For example, based on the foregoing, the frequency domain starting position n of the SRS pattern block in each SRS resource pattern isb It can be based on n SRS Determined. That is, at least one SRS pattern block in each SRS resource pattern corresponds to a different n. SRS (That is, the value of the transmission counter). For example, n b With n SRS The correspondence shown in Table 5 above can be satisfied.

[0205] Optionally, the SRS pattern block is also related to the index of its corresponding port group and the number N of port groups. Specifically, the frequency domain starting position n of the SRS pattern block... b With n SRS It is related to the index PortIdx of the port group and the number of port groups N.

[0206] It should be understood that the frequency domain starting position n of the SRS pattern block b With n SRS The value is related to PortIdx and the number of port groups N, and can be understood as: the frequency domain starting position n of the SRS pattern block. b It is based on n SRS The number of port groups N is determined by PortIdx and PortIdx.

[0207] For example, the SRS pattern block, its corresponding PortIdx, and the number N of port groups satisfy the following relationship:

[0208] Where, n b Indicates the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block, n SRS This indicates the value of the transmission counter corresponding to the SRS pattern block, PortIdx indicates the index of the port group corresponding to the SRS pattern block, and B SRS For pre-configured bandwidth, N b′ To represent B SRS The value of N is b′, which represents the number of pre-configured bandwidths. portNum N represents the number of port packets. RRC The frequency domain start position index configured for SRS resources, m SRS,b This indicates the number of RBs occupied by the pre-configured bandwidth.

[0209] Specifically, under this relationship (6), Table 5 above can be replaced with the contents shown in Tables 7A and 7B:

[0210] Table 7A

[0211] Table 7B

[0212] Among them, n in Table 7A b Part or all of nb This can be the frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to the port group where protIdx = 1. n in Table 7B b Part or all of n b This can be the frequency domain start position of the SRS pattern block corresponding to the port group where protIdx = 2. That is, the terminal device can determine the n corresponding to the port group represented by protIdx based on protIdx. b With n SRS The correspondence (i.e., whether the port group represented by protIdx corresponds to Table 7A or Table 7B), and then based on n SRS The value of n is determined b .

[0213] It should be understood that Tables 5, 7A, and 7B above exemplify the examples of n within a frequency hopping cycle. b When the value range of is shown in Table 5, within this frequency hopping period, the n corresponding to each port group b Possible implementations of n's values ​​(i.e., as shown in Table 7A or Table 7B); in fact, n within a frequency hopping cycle b The value range of can also be other implementations besides those in Table 5 above. Accordingly, within this frequency hopping period, the n corresponding to each port group b There are other implementations for the value of , which are not restricted in this application.

[0214] Optionally, in this possible implementation, the number of frequency hopping operations of the antenna ports in each port group within a frequency hopping cycle can satisfy the content shown in the above relationship (5). For details, please refer to the relevant description of the above relationship (5), which will not be repeated here.

[0215] Based on this possible implementation, when the temporal resources of N SRS resource patterns overlap, the terminal device can use protIdx, n SRS The number of port packets N determines the n corresponding to the port packet represented by protIdx. b At this point, an n SRS It can correspond to N n's b The N n b The protIdx is different; compared to the terminal device which only depends on n SRS Determine n b The proposed solution can reduce n SRS The number of bits; thus saving resource overhead.

[0216] Combining the two possible implementation methods mentioned above, the value of N can be determined autonomously by the network device; or it can be determined based on the relevant parameters of the terminal device.

[0217] For example, when the value of N is determined by the network device autonomously, the network device can measure channel information of multiple antenna ports under the same SRS resource, and further calculate the correlation between the multiple antenna ports according to the channel information of the multiple antenna ports, so as to divide the antenna ports with a correlation greater than a preset threshold into different port groups, thereby obtaining the number N of port groups.

[0218] When the value of N is determined based on the related parameters of the terminal device, before step S601, the communication method for configuring SRS can further include step S600 as shown in FIG. 10:

[0219] S600, the terminal device sends indication information to the network device; correspondingly, the network device receives the indication information from the network device.

[0220] The indication information is used to assist in determining the value of N.

[0221] For example, when the network device determines the configuration information, the network device can determine the configuration information according to the indication information.

[0222] For example, the indication information can indicate the number of port groups (i.e., the value of N) that the terminal device can support; or in other words, the indication information indicates the number of port groups recommended by the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device can measure channel information of multiple antenna ports under the same SRS resource, and further calculate the correlation between the multiple antenna ports according to the channel information of the multiple antenna ports, so as to divide the antenna ports with a correlation greater than a preset threshold into different port groups, thereby obtaining the number of port groups that it can support, i.e., the number of port groups recommended by it (i.e., the value of N), and reporting to the network device through the indication information.

[0223] Alternatively, the indication information can indicate channel information (such as channel state information (CSI)) of multiple antenna ports under the same SRS resource, so that the network device can calculate the correlation between the multiple antenna ports based on the channel information of the multiple antenna ports, so as to divide the antenna ports with a correlation greater than a preset threshold into different port groups, thereby obtaining the number N of port groups.

[0224] For example, the preset threshold can be 0.8; or the preset threshold can also be any other possible value, which is not limited in the present application.

[0225] It should be noted that the above examples exemplarily introduce part of the implementation of the value of N. In fact, the implementation of the value of N can also be implemented by any other possible way other than the above, which is not limited in the present application.

[0226] S602, the network device sends configuration information to the terminal device; correspondingly, the terminal device receives the configuration information from the network device.

[0227] For example, the configuration information can be carried by an RRC configuration message, an RRC reconfiguration message, a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE), or DCI.

[0228] Optionally, the configuration information can further include one or more SRS resource sets, which are used to allocate resources for SRS transmission. One SRS resource set includes one or more SRS resources, and one SRS resource includes time domain resources or frequency domain resources for SRS transmission. One SRS resource includes one or more antenna ports (such as the multiple antenna ports in the same SRS resource described above), which are used to transmit SRS. Alternatively, it can be understood that one SRS resource set indicates one or more time-frequency domain resources for SRS transmission and one or more antenna ports for SRS transmission.

[0229] In one possible implementation, one SRS resource set includes a usage indication information ('usage'), which is used to indicate the usage of the SRS resource set. Specifically, the usage can be antenna switching, codebook, non-codebook, or beam management.

[0230] For example, the network device can obtain the channel state information (CSI) of the downlink by receiving and measuring the SRS signal corresponding to the SRS resource set with the usage of antenna switching, which has the reciprocity between the uplink and the downlink.

[0231] For another example, the network device can obtain the channel state information (CSI) of the uplink by receiving and measuring the SRS signal corresponding to the SRS resource set with the usage of codebook, that is, when the precoding mode of the uplink of the terminal device is codebook, the network device obtains the transmit precoding matrix indicator (TPMI) by receiving and measuring the SRS, and indicates the transmit precoding of the uplink of the terminal device by the SRS resource indicator (SRI) and the TPMI.

[0232] For example, the network device can obtain uplink channel state information (CSI) by receiving and measuring SRS signals corresponding to a set of SRS resources used for non-codebook-based purposes. When the terminal device uses non-codebook-based precoding for uplink transmission, the network device obtains uplink transmission precoding weights by receiving and measuring the SRS signals and indicates the terminal device to use the indicated SRS resource index (SRI) for uplink transmission precoding.

[0233] For example, the network device can select a transmit / receive beam for uplink / downlink transmission of the terminal device by receiving and measuring SRS signals corresponding to a set of SRS resources used for beam management.

[0234] It should be understood that the types of the above-mentioned set of SRS resources can be configured to be periodic, semi-static, or aperiodic. For periodic or semi-static SRS resources, periodic SRS resources are configured by a configuration message indicating the period and slot offset of the SRS resources. The semi-static SRS resources can be dynamically activated and deactivated by DCI signaling and / or MAC-CE signaling.

[0235] It should also be understood that there is a mapping relationship between the SRS port (also referred to as an antenna port) and the SRS time-frequency domain resource, i.e., the SRS information configuration indicates that a specific SRS port transmits SRS on a specific SRS time-frequency domain resource. The SRS time domain resource can span N adjacent symbols within a slot or occupy multiple symbols in different slots.

[0236] S603, the terminal device transmits SRS to the network device according to the configuration information; correspondingly, the network device receives SRS from the terminal device.

[0237] Optionally, the terminal device can transmit SRS on at least one antenna port in each port group according to the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group according to the number of port groups N indicated by the configuration information; thereby, SRS is transmitted on the antenna ports in multiple port groups within one frequency hopping period to cover the preset bandwidth.

[0238] Optionally, after step S603, the communication method for configuring SRS further includes step S604 as shown in FIG. 11:

[0239] S604, the network device determines the channel information of the preconfigured bandwidth according to the SRS.

[0240] Exemplarily, after receiving the SRS of one port group, the network device can perform channel estimation on the frequency domain resources covered by the SRS to obtain channel information of the frequency domain resources covered by the SRS; further, by utilizing the correlation between different port groups, the channel information of the frequency domain resources when the antenna ports in the N-1 port groups other than the one port group send SRSs on the frequency domain resources is estimated; for example, the channel information of the frequency domain resources covered by the SRS of the one port group is equivalent to the channel information of the frequency domain resources when the antenna ports in the N-1 port groups send SRSs on the frequency domain resources. Thus, the channel information of the preconfigured bandwidth corresponding to each antenna port when each antenna port in each port group sends an SRS on the preconfigured bandwidth is obtained; and then the real channel information of the preconfigured bandwidth is determined according to the channel information of the preconfigured bandwidth corresponding to each antenna port.

[0241] The communication method for configuring SRS provided in the application can be used for a terminal-side communication device to obtain different frequency domain resources respectively configured by a network-side communication device for a plurality of antenna ports under the same SRS resource configuration; and the antenna ports in each port group send SRSs, wherein the resources borne by the SRSs are the frequency domain resources of the port group to which the antenna ports belong. Exemplarily, the plurality of antenna ports under the same SRS resource configuration can be divided into N groups; wherein each port group is respectively configured with a different SRS resource pattern, and the N port groups and the N SRS resource patterns correspond respectively; wherein the frequency domain resources of each SRS resource pattern in the N SRS resource patterns are part of the frequency domain resources in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern (that is, the N SRS resource patterns constitute the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern), that is, the SRSs sent by the antenna ports in each port group of the terminal-side communication device cover part of the frequency domain resources in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, so that the SRSs sent by the N groups of antenna ports collectively cover the frequency domain resources in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern (such as the preconfigured bandwidth).

[0242] Further, after receiving the SRS of the antenna port in the one port group and measuring the SRS to obtain the channel information of the SRS resource pattern corresponding to the one port group, the network side communication device can use the correlation of the multiple groups of antenna ports to equivalently obtain the channel information as: the terminal device sends the SRS on the SRS resource pattern through the antenna port in any one of the N-1 port groups other than the one port group in the N port groups, and the network side communication device obtains the channel information by measuring the SRS; that is, the terminal side communication device only needs to send the SRS on one SRS resource pattern by using one group of port groups, so that the network side communication device can infer (or estimate, equivalently) the channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern measured by the network side communication device for each port group when each port group sends the SRS on the preconfigured bandwidth, and further determine the real channel information of the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern. Compared with the scheme that the SRS sent on each antenna port in the multiple antenna ports configured by the SRS resource covers the frequency domain resource in the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, the resource consumption can be reduced and the resource utilization can be improved.

[0243] It should be noted that each embodiment of the present application can be implemented independently or in combination, and is not limited. If there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions provided in different embodiments of the present application are consistent and can be mutually referred to. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0244] The above mainly introduces the scheme provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of interaction between devices. It can be understood that each device contains a corresponding hardware structure and / or software module for executing each function in order to realize the above functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that the algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed in the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is executed in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional technicians can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0245] It should be noted that the communication apparatus includes hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to each function in order to realize the above functions. It should be easily understood by those skilled in the art that, in combination with the embodiments disclosed in the present document, the units and algorithm steps of each example described above can be realized in the form of hardware or hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is realized in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application.

[0246] The embodiments of the present application can divide the functional modules of each device according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be realized in the form of hardware or software functional module. It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiments of the present application is illustrative, and is only a logical functional division. There can be another division method in actual implementation.

[0247] FIG. 12 shows a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1200. The communication apparatus 1200 includes a processing module 1201 and a transceiver module 1202. The communication apparatus can be used to realize the functions of the terminal-side communication apparatus (such as the terminal device described in FIGS. 6-11 above) or the network-side communication apparatus (such as the network device described in FIGS. 6-11 above).

[0248] In some embodiments, the communication apparatus 1200 can also include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 12) for storing programs, instructions and / or data.

[0249] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1202, also referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to realize the sending and / or receiving functions. The transceiver module 1202 can be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

[0250] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1202 can include a receiving module and a transmitting module for performing the receiving and transmitting steps of the above-described method embodiments performed by the above-described terminal-side communication apparatus (e.g., the terminal device described above with reference to FIGS. 6-11) or network-side communication apparatus (e.g., the network device described above with reference to FIGS. 6-11), and / or other processes for supporting the techniques described herein; and the processing module 1201 can be for performing the processing steps (e.g., determining, etc.) of the above-described method embodiments performed by the above-described terminal-side communication apparatus (e.g., the terminal device described above with reference to FIGS. 6-11) or network-side communication apparatus (e.g., the network device described above with reference to FIGS. 6-11), and / or other processes for supporting the techniques described herein.

[0251] When the communication apparatus 1200 is configured to implement the functions of the above-described terminal-side communication apparatus (e.g., the terminal device), the transceiver module 1202 can be configured to:

[0252] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 1202 is configured to receive configuration information, the configuration information indicating a number N of port groups, the N port groups corresponding to N SRS resource patterns, the N port groups respectively corresponding to the N SRS resource patterns, the N SRS resource patterns constituting an SRS resource hopping pattern, a frequency domain resource of the SRS resource hopping pattern being equal to a preconfigured bandwidth, N being greater than 1 and less than or equal to a total number of antenna ports within SRS resources where the N port groups are located; and the transceiver module 1202 is further configured to transmit an SRS according to the configuration information.

[0253] Optionally, the transceiver module 1202 is further configured to transmit indication information, the indication information being used to assist in determining a value of N.

[0254] Optionally, a frequency domain resource of each of the N SRS resource patterns is 1 / N of the preconfigured bandwidth.

[0255] Optionally, each of the N port groups includes at least one antenna port, and each of the at least one antenna port shares an SRS resource pattern corresponding to a port group in which the antenna port is located.

[0256] Optionally, time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns overlap.

[0257] Optionally, time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns are the same.

[0258] Optionally, frequency domain starting positions of the N SRS resource patterns are different.

[0259] Optionally, each of the N SRS resource patterns includes at least one SRS pattern block, and frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block are different.

[0260] Optionally, the at least one SRS pattern block corresponds to different values of the transmission counter respectively.

[0261] Optionally, the SRS pattern block is related to an index of the port group corresponding to the SRS pattern block and a quantity N of the port groups.

[0262] Optionally, time-frequency resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap.

[0263] Optionally, sizes of frequency domain resources of any two SRS pattern blocks in the at least one SRS pattern block are the same.

[0264] When the communication apparatus 1200 is configured to implement the functions of the network-side communication apparatus (e.g., a network device) described above, the processing module 1201 is configured to:

[0265] In some embodiments, the processing module 1201 is configured to determine configuration information, the configuration information indicating a quantity N of port groups, the N port groups corresponding to N SRS resource patterns, the N port groups and the N SRS resource patterns corresponding respectively, the N SRS resource patterns constituting an SRS resource hopping pattern, a frequency domain resource of the SRS resource hopping pattern being equal to a preconfigured bandwidth, N being greater than 1 and less than or equal to a total quantity of antenna ports within SRS resources where the N port groups are located; and the transceiver module 1202 is configured to transmit the configuration information.

[0266] Optionally, the transceiver module 1202 is further configured to receive indication information, the indication information being used to assist in determining a value of N; and the processing module 1201 is further configured to determine the configuration information according to the indication information.

[0267] Optionally, a frequency domain resource of each of the N SRS resource patterns is 1 / N of the preconfigured bandwidth.

[0268] Optionally, each of the N port groups includes at least one antenna port, and each of the at least one antenna port shares an SRS resource pattern corresponding to the port group where the antenna port is located.

[0269] Optionally, time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns overlap.

[0270] Optionally, time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns are the same.

[0271] Optionally, frequency domain starting positions of the N SRS resource patterns are different.

[0272] Optionally, time-frequency resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap.

[0273] Optionally, each of the N SRS resource patterns includes at least one SRS pattern block, and frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block are different.

[0274] Optionally, the at least one SRS pattern block corresponds to different values of the transmission counter respectively.

[0275] Optionally, the SRS pattern block is related to an index of the port group corresponding to the SRS pattern block and a quantity N of the port groups.

[0276] Optionally, sizes of frequency domain resources of any two SRS pattern blocks in the at least one SRS pattern block are the same.

[0277] All the related contents of the steps involved in the method embodiments described above can be referred to the function description of the corresponding function modules, which will not be repeated here.

[0278] In the present application, the communication apparatus (i.e., the terminal-side communication apparatus (such as the terminal device described in the above Figs. 6-11) or the network-side communication apparatus (such as the network device described in the above Figs. 6-11)) 1200 is presented in the form of dividing various function modules in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory executing one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0279] In some embodiments, when the communication apparatus 1200 in Fig. 12 is a chip or a chip system, the function / implementation process of the transceiver module 1202 can be implemented through the input / output interface (or the communication interface) of the chip or the chip system, and the function / implementation process of the processing module 1201 can be implemented through the processor (or the processing circuit) of the chip or the chip system.

[0280] Since the communication apparatus 1200 provided by the present embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained thereby can be referred to the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0281] As another possible product form, the terminal-side communication apparatus (such as the terminal device described in the above Figs. 6-11) or the network-side communication apparatus (such as the network device described in the above Figs. 6-11) described in the embodiments of the present application can adopt the component structure shown in Fig. 13 or include the components shown in Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a component structure diagram of a communication apparatus 1300 provided by the embodiments of the present application. The communication apparatus 1300 can be a terminal-side communication apparatus or a chip or a system on chip in the terminal-side communication apparatus; or can be a network-side communication apparatus or a chip or a system on chip in the network-side communication apparatus. As shown in Fig. 13, the communication apparatus 1300 includes a processor 1301, a transceiver 1302, and a communication line 1303.

[0282] Further, the communication device 1300 can further include a memory 1304. The processor 1301, the memory 1304 and the transceiver 1302 can be connected through a communication line 1303.

[0283] The processor 1301 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a general processor network processor (NP), a digital signal processing (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD) or any combination thereof. The processor 1301 can also be other devices with processing function, such as a circuit, a device or a software module, which are not limited here.

[0284] The transceiver 1302 is configured to communicate with other devices or other communication networks. The other communication networks can be an Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. The transceiver 1302 can be a module, a circuit, a transceiver or any device capable of realizing communication.

[0285] The communication line 1303 is configured to connect different components in the communication device 1300, so that the different components can communicate. The communication line 1303 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 13, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0286] The memory 1304 can be a device with a storage function, configured to store instructions and / or data. The instructions can be a computer program.

[0287] The memory 1304 can be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions that are not to be changed by the device, a random access memory (RAM), or another type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions for execution by the processor 1301, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), or another optical disk storage, a magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to store information and / or instructions that can be accessed by the device, without limitation.

[0288] It should be noted that the memory 1304 can be independent of the processor 1301, or can be integrated with the processor 1301. The memory 1304 can be used to store instructions or program codes or some data, etc. The memory 1304 can be located in the communication device 1300, or can be located outside the communication device 1300, without limitation. The processor 1301 is configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1304 to implement the communication method for configuring SRS provided by the embodiments described below.

[0289] In an example, the processor 1301 can include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG. 13.

[0290] In some embodiments, in a hardware implementation, those skilled in the art can conceive that the communication device 1200 can take the form of the communication device 1300 shown in FIG. 13.

[0291] As an example, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1201 in FIG. 12 can be implemented by the processor 1301 in the communication device 1300 shown in FIG. 13 invoking the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1304. The functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1202 in FIG. 12 can be implemented by the transceiver 1302 in the communication device 1300 shown in FIG. 13.

[0292] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1300 includes multiple processors, for example, in addition to the processor 1301 in FIG. 13, the processor 1307 can also be included.

[0293] As an optional implementation, the communication apparatus 1300 further includes an output device 1305 and an input device 1306. Exemplarily, the input device 1306 is a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector, etc. For example, the input device 1306 can be a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a joystick, a touch screen device, a sensor device, etc. The output device 1305 is a display screen, a speaker, etc.

[0294] It should be noted that the communication apparatus 1300 can be a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a network server, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal, an embedded device, a chip system, or a device having a similar structure to that shown in FIG. 13. In addition, the constituent structures shown in FIG. 13 do not constitute limitation on the communication apparatus, and the communication apparatus can include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have different arrangement of components.

[0295] In embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0296] As still another possible product form, the terminal-side communication apparatus (such as the terminal device described in FIGS. 6-11 above) or the network-side communication apparatus (such as the network device described in FIGS. 6-11 above) described in embodiments of the present application can be implemented by a general bus architecture. For ease of illustration, refer to FIG. 14, which is a structural schematic diagram of a communication apparatus 1400 provided by embodiments of the present application, the communication apparatus 1400 including a processor 1401 and a transceiver 1402. The communication apparatus 1400 can be a terminal-side communication apparatus, or a chip or chip system therein; or the communication apparatus 1400 can be a network-side communication apparatus, or a chip or module therein. FIG. 14 only shows main components of the communication apparatus 1400. In addition to the processor 1401 and the transceiver 1402, the communication apparatus can further include a memory 1403.

[0297] Optionally, the processor 1401 is mainly used for processing communication protocols and communication data, and controlling the entire communication apparatus, executing software programs, and processing data of the software programs. The memory 1403 is mainly used for storing software programs and data. The transceiver 1402 can include a radio frequency circuit and an antenna, the radio frequency circuit being mainly used for conversion between a baseband signal and a radio frequency signal and processing of the radio frequency signal. The antenna is mainly used for transceiving radio frequency signals in the form of electromagnetic waves.

[0298] Optionally, the processor 1401, the transceiver 1402, and the memory 1403 can be connected through a communication bus.

[0299] When the communication device is powered on, the processor 1401 can read the software program in the memory 1403, interpret and execute the instructions of the software program, and process the data of the software program. When data needs to be transmitted wirelessly, the processor 1401 performs baseband processing on the data to be transmitted, and outputs the baseband signal to the radio frequency circuit. The radio frequency circuit converts the baseband signal into a radio frequency signal, and transmits the radio frequency signal in the form of electromagnetic waves through the antenna. When data is transmitted to the communication device, the radio frequency circuit receives the radio frequency signal through the antenna, converts the radio frequency signal into a baseband signal, and outputs the baseband signal to the processor 1401. The processor 1401 converts the baseband signal into data and processes the data.

[0300] In some embodiments, the transceiver 1402 can include a transmitter and a receiver, wherein the transmitter is configured to implement the transmission operations in the above method embodiments; and the receiver is configured to implement the receiving operations in the above method embodiments.

[0301] For example, when the communication device is a chip, the chip can not include the memory 1403, that is, the communication device includes the processor 1401 and the transceiver 1402. At this time, the transceiver 1402 is the input and output interface of the chip, wherein the transmitter in the transceiver corresponds to the output interface of the chip, and the receiver in the transceiver corresponds to the input interface of the chip.

[0302] In some embodiments, the communication device includes a processor, which is configured to implement the method in any of the above method embodiments.

[0303] As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to save necessary computer programs or instructions. The processor can call the computer programs or instructions in the memory to make the communication device execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory can also be external to the communication device.

[0304] As another possible implementation, the communication device further includes an interface circuit, which is a code / data read-write interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in the memory, which can be directly read from the memory or can pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0305] As yet another possible implementation, the communication device further includes a communication interface, which is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device.

[0306] It can be understood that the communication apparatus can be a chip or a chip system, when the communication apparatus is a chip system, the communication apparatus can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices, and embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations.

[0307] The present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instructions, and the computer program or instructions realize the functions of any of the method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0308] The present application further provides a computer program product, which realizes the functions of any of the method embodiments when executed by a computer.

[0309] Those skilled in the art can understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described system, apparatus and unit can refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0310] It can be understood that the system, apparatus and method described in the present application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, apparatus or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0311] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, that is, can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. The components shown as units can or can not be physical units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0312] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can be physically present separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit.

[0313] In the embodiments described above, all or some of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or some of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product storing computer program instructions. The computer program instructions are executed in a computer to implement the procedures or functions described in the embodiments of the present application. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable apparatus. The computer program instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer program instructions can be transmitted from a website, a computer, a server or a data center to another website, computer, server or data center through a wired (for example, coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (for example, infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or data storage device including one or more servers, data centers, etc. integrated with the medium. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (for example, floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (for example, DVD), or a semiconductor medium (for example, solid state drive (SSD)), etc. In the embodiments of the present application, the computer can include the device described above.

[0314] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, it is understood that other variations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed application, from an inspection of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps not listed in the claims. The word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single processor or other unit can fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to an advantage.

Claims

1. A communication method for configuring SRS, comprising: The method comprises: receiving configuration information, the configuration information indicating a number N of port groups, the N port groups respectively corresponding to N sounding reference signal (SRS) resource patterns, the N SRS resource patterns constituting an SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, N being greater than 1 and less than or equal to a total number of antenna ports in an SRS resource in which the N port groups are located; transmitting an SRS according to the configuration information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Before the receiving configuration information, the method further comprises: transmitting indication information for assisting in determining a value of N.

3. A communication method for configuring SRS, comprising: The method comprises: determining configuration information, the configuration information indicating a number N of port groups, the N port groups respectively corresponding to N sounding reference signal (SRS) resource patterns, the N SRS resource patterns constituting an SRS resource frequency hopping pattern, N being greater than 1 and less than or equal to a total number of antenna ports in an SRS resource in which the N port groups are located; transmitting the configuration information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, Before the determining configuration information, the method further comprises: receiving indication information for assisting in determining a value of N; The determining configuration information comprises: determining the configuration information according to the indication information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, A frequency domain resource of each of the N SRS resource patterns is 1 / N of a preconfigured bandwidth, the preconfigured bandwidth being greater than or equal to a frequency domain resource of the SRS resource frequency hopping pattern.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Each of the N port groups comprises at least one antenna port, each of the at least one antenna port sharing an SRS resource pattern corresponding to a port group in which the antenna port is located.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns overlap.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, Time domain resources of the N SRS resource patterns are the same.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, Frequency domain starting positions of the N SRS resource patterns are different.

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, Each of the N SRS resource patterns comprises at least one SRS pattern block, frequency domain resources of the at least one SRS pattern block being different.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The at least one SRS pattern block respectively corresponds to a value of a different transmission counter.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that, The SRS pattern block is related to an index of a port group corresponding to the SRS pattern block and the number N of the port groups.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The SRS pattern block, the index of the corresponding port group, and the number N of the port group satisfy the following relationship: wherein n b represents a frequency domain starting position of the SRS pattern block, n SRS represents a value of a transmission counter corresponding to the SRS pattern block, PortIdx represents an index of a port group corresponding to the SRS pattern block, B SRS is the preconfigured bandwidth, N b′ represents a value of B SRS , and N portNum represents a number of the preconfigured bandwidths when the value of B SRS is b', N portNum represents a number of the port groups, n RRC is a frequency domain starting position index of the SRS resource, m SRS,b represents a number of resource blocks (RBs) occupied by the preconfigured bandwidth.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, Time frequency resources of the N SRS resource patterns do not overlap.

15. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, characterized in that, Frequency domain resources of any two of the at least one SRS pattern block are the same in size.

16. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a transceiver module and a processing module, The transceiver module is configured to perform a receiving action or a transmitting action in the method according to any one of claims 1-2, 5-15, or perform a receiving action or a transmitting action in the method according to any one of claims 3-15; The processing module is configured to perform a processing action in the method according to any one of claims 1-2, 5-15, or perform a processing action in the method according to any one of claims 3-15.

17. A communications device, characterized by The communication device comprises a processor; the processor is configured to run computer programs or instructions, so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 1-2, 5-15, or so that the communication device performs the method according to any one of claims 3-15.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein, The communication device further comprises a memory; the memory is configured to store computer programs or instructions required for performing the method according to any one of claims 1-2, 5-15, or the memory is configured to store computer programs or instructions required for performing the method according to any one of claims 3-15.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, A computer readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs, when the computer instructions or programs are run on a computer, so that the method according to any one of claims 1-2, 5-15 is performed, so that the method according to any one of claims 3-15 is performed.

20. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product comprises computer programs or instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, so that the method according to any one of claims 1-2, 5-15 is performed, so that the method according to any one of claims 3-15 is performed.

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